Dialogue with the Alter Ego complaining about "Portnoy’s Complaint" by Philip Roth, first drafted on Oct. 14, published on Oct. 15, 2013--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“... what was it with these Jewish parents, what, that they were able to make us little Jewish boys believe ourselves to be princes on the one hand, (...) and such bumbling, incompetent, thoughtless, helpless, selfish, evil little shits, little ingrates, on the other! (...) Where did you [...parents...] get the idea that the most wonderful thing I [...your boy...] could be in life was obedient? A little gentleman? (...) Mother, the beach at Fire Island is strewn with the bodies of nice Jewish boys, in bikinis and Bain de Soleil also little gentlemen in restaurants, (...) [...and...] (...) your little gentlemen are all grown up now. And there on lavender beach towels they lie, in all their furious narcissism.”Philip Roth, Portnoy’s Complaint, (Vintage Books: New York 1994), page 119 – 126,originally published in 1967

Question by Alter Ego of Noah denkt™ (AE): What does Noah denkt™ make of Philip Roth’s above mentioned outcry against parents who attempt to educate their little sons to be well-behaved gentlemen? After all, it is probably fair to assume that the brains behind Noah denkt™ have suffered some of the same deformations that Philip Roth is deriding here?Answer by Noah denkt™ (Nd): Well, "Portnoy’s Complaint" was published in 1967 when the sexual liberation of 60s was just making its first inroads into society. So, you have to put this into its historical context. After all, it’s quite unlikely that there are still too many parents around these days who view it as their first priority to be a role model of obedience and gentlemanly restraint for their kids.

AE: But “furious narcissism” is still being created to this day even if sexual liberation isn’t so much the issue anymore. So let’s not go into denial about this phenomenon particularly because it pertains to us as well.Nd: Your are right. Sorry for trying to evade your question by striking an academic pose.

AE: So, what do you make then of Roth’s argument?Nd: Okay, he may be onto something but we also ask ourselves: How do you get a job, how do you make a living for yourself, if you do not choose to be an agreeable, yet ambitious career-minded conformist? Obviously, writing about your attempt at personal freedom and independence is no longer an option, since Philip Roth and others have done this many times before. In other words, everything that needs to be said in this respect has long been said before.

AE: So far, Noah denkt™ has been proud of its steadfast consistency?Nd: Look, it might surprise the narcissistic mind of yours, but for a change not everything in this dialogue is about us. We also have to think occasionally about the tons of people out there whose souls haven’t been twisted and turned as much as ours. So do not forget the mellow narcissists that need to make a living too.

AE: Is there something as a mild and mellow narcissism?Nd: Well, supposedly, the many Jewish boys in bikinis and Bain de Soleil that were strewn on the beaches of Fireland Island were not all that furious about their lack of self-assurance and ease. Otherwise, they would have turned into writers and comedians as well.

AE: This equally implies, however, that Philip Roth and others should be grateful to their parents for pushing the guilt-button so hard on them that as grown-ups they had no other chance to manage their stress but to successfully write about it.Nd: Is it that wonderful to have stellar success? Think about the pain you have to go through in order to get there? And think about the work it entails to deal with the loss of privacy that comes with success? In view of that it would probably be a lot easier to be a regular carpenter with a normal, inconspicuous life-style?

AE: Well, as you continuously and rightly so point out, the economic pressures have by now reached the life of the inconspicuous as well. There is no natural self-assurance any more. The global marketplace has effectively done away with that. Hence, it’s better to be a furious narcissist than a regular Joe. At least that gives you a chance to build something for yourself whereas the others continue to be rocked and rolled by forces they neither understand nor control. Nd: Tell that to my carpenter neighbor. He will laugh in your face before you are even done with your explanation.

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